Fulham star willing to go the extra mile

Fulham star Bryan Ruiz is willing to go the extra mile – literally – to help club and country.

The Costa Rica captain has already helped his national team secure their place at next summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil.

But the 28-year-old forward has no plans to knock the gruelling 10,000-mile round trips on the head in the lead-up to the tournament, even if he is struggling to cope with the jet lag.

He said: “I want to play very good this season to give myself the best preparation for the World Cup.

“It’s been a tough schedule for myself. I flew to Costa Rica many times to play for the national team, which is difficult to recover from. I am very tired because it’s tough to go to America and play, then come back and play again here. It’s difficult to cope with the jet lag.”

Relief: Martin Jol had been under real pressure at Fulham

Fulham got their season back on track with two successive wins to ease the pressure on manager Martin Jol.

And Ruiz has urged his team-mates to carry that momentum into the clash at high-flying Southampton tomorrow (Saturday).

“We are in a better position now but we have to continue,” he added. “The middle of the table is always tough because if you win again you go up, but if you lose we are down there again.

“We are full of confidence but we know we have a very difficult schedule. We have Southampton, who are doing really good, then after we have the League Cup and then Manchester United.

“I’m surprised by Southampton’s form but they deserve to be where they are. They are going to be full of confidence, so we know it’s going to be tough.”